Baseball in Evansville

Booms, Busts and One Global Disaster

Kevin Wirthwein

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN:
  9781439669235
• Edition: 0

Baseball exploded in Evansville after the Civil War. Early clubs like the Resolutes, Blues, Brewers, Hoosiers and Blackbirds played, built ballparks, struggled financially and suffered scandals until the early 1900s. A near tragic event fueled the 1915 construction of Bosse Field, now the third-oldest professional ballpark in operation and the host to Major League Spring Training and the filming of A League of Their Own. After World War II, college baseball returned after lying dormant since the 1920s. In the late 1960s, a local entrepreneur attempted to build a third major league. When he failed, the city ascended to the minor leagues' highest level. Join sportswriter and Evansville native Kevin Wirthwein as he recounts baseball's illustrious history in the River City.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. The Civil War to the Twentieth Century: 1865–1900
• Chapter 2. River Rats, Yankees, Evas and War: 1901–18
• Chapter 3. A New Beginning, Depression and Lights Out: 1919–31
• Chapter 4. Ball-Fakes, Bees and Battles: 1932–45
• Chapter 5. The Home of the Braves: 1946–57
• Chapter 6. The Field, the Search, the Esox and the Global Flop: 1958–69
• Chapter 7. Epilogue: Global Disaster and AAA Triumph: 1970 and Beyond
• Bibliography
• About the Author